AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 5 September 1918, Page 2

AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

[From Our Own Correspondent!

Auckland, Sept. 2

THE FISH QUESTION

The finer weather recently experienced here has resulted in far larger catches of fish being made than have been taken for many weeks previously. But no decline in prices has occurred, notwithstanding the improved state of things. The expenses of running the trawler, it seems, renders the cheapening of prices to the consumer impossible. Apropos of this a letter from a Thames ; resident which has just appeared | in a local paper is worth quoting. '' The solution," writes this cor~ respondent (a lady, by the way), " lies in the nationalisation of the entire industry Both parties now discussing the matter are seeking to protect their own interests No fish should be dumped back into the sea, as has been done in the past, nor should the be limited as to the days they may fish, in order to limit supplies and control the price. The public should be allowed to consume all the fish it requires. . . . Once the Government took it up no doubt we should have insulated trucks on our railways. Even in South Africa these trucks are put on for all perishable produce, and fresh fish can be obtained hundreds of miles inland." That's a sensible letter. It is doubtless the limitation of the supplies and the controlling of prices that are chiefly responsible for the comparatively high cost of fish to the consumer now ruling. When I lived in a Southern city years ago I remember how the fru'.t ring would send great quantities of fruit to the destructor, when there was a glut, rather than let the public benefit by it. For my part I would like to see both the fish industry and the fruit industry nationalised.

AN UNDESIRABLE LODGER

It is possible that the proprietors of apartment houses may occasionally" entertain angels unawares, but the apartment house business is a risky one at best. " You never can tell " how a lodger may turn out, and a well-cut coat and a plausible manner may take in even the most experienced landladies. Mrs Laurie, who lets apartments in Upper Queen Street, Auckland, affords a case in point. A. few days ago a smiling and welldressed stranger of engaging manners and appearance, answering to the name of Scott (real name Downs), rented a room from this lady, and two days later he annexed a jewel-case belonging to her (and which was kept ia her bedroom) together ' with its contents —articles of jewellery valued at between £13 and £14. An inexperienced thief would have cleared out of the house with the swag at once. But Scott, alias Downs, knew a trick worth two of that. He continued to reside under Miss Laurie's roof, and after discreetly waiting for a day or two, he sold the purloined jewellery or some of it, to a pawnbroker. And that's how he fell in. When a robbery of this kind takes place about the first thing the police do is to make enquiries at all the local pawnbroker's shops. Scott, otherwise Downs, was arrested at his lodgings, and although he stoutly denied having traded off the missing goods to the pawnbrokers the Court regretfully declined to take his word for it, and sentenced to six months' gaol He had been in trouble before.

MISSING FROM HOME

Mr and Mrs John Clarke, of Manning Street, Newton, Auckland, have passed through a harrowing experience. For four days their litle daughter, only three years of age, disappeared, and they were left during all that time in utter ignorance as to what had become of her. Their agony of mind, under the distressing circumstances, will be appreciated by parents. During the days and nights that the child was missing some hundreds of people assisted in the search for her, and the entire neighbourhood (a large and populous one) was scoured from one end to another. And while the search continued the most terrifying rumours were in circulation, amongst them being the report that the child had been found dead in the Domain dam. And yet the little one was safe and sound all the while, hidden away in a neighbonring house tenanted by a woman who admits having sheltered her but has, apparently, no explanation to offer regarding her conduct which she must have known would cause-the child's

parents the most terrible anxiety The whole business is mysterious and mysterious, seemingly, it will remain.

LIMITATION OF FAMILIES.

The Hon. G. W. Russell, now a ._, Minister of the Crown, but fon^f • merly Member for Riccarton, anc^|&known in those days by the vulgar herd as "Riccarty Russell," takes a deep interest in the population question, and his recent utterances regarding the falling birthrate, have excited some little attention in Auckland. If, as Mr Russell states, the birthrate has fallen nearly 1 per cent durine the past 30 years, the position is serious enough. But when one reads that " Mr Russell regards this as indicating a deliberate limitation of families and considers legislative action imperative," it provokes a smile. What " legislative action" is possible, in the circumstances ? Does Mr Russell propose to compel people have children if they don't want to have them ? Mr Russell's hint that the time is coming when the State will assist parents in rearing children, is more understandable. The New South Wales Government has long been encouraging married people to keep the cradles full by granting a bonus of £5, under certain conditions, every time a little stranger makes his appearance in this vale of tears. This is known as " the baby bonus," and the scheme works well.

A WISE DECISION.

I have not the pleasure of knowing Mr F. K. Hunt, Stipendiary Magistrate, who has but recently been appointed to Auckland, but judging by one or two of his decisions I should say the city is to be congratulated upon having such a Magistrate. The other day a youth of 18 was the subject of an application from the Education Department who wanted to have an order made against him to help in the maintenance of seven brothers and sisters, inmates of industrial schools. It transpired that this youth earns £2 per week. The case was heard by Mr Hunt, S.M. who said : " I do not consider it a fair thing, under the circumstances, to expect this young man to help in this matter. He has enough to do to keep himself on 40s a week, and to add any further to his struggle for existence would merely tend to dishearten him, and perhaps give him a twist towards dishonesty. The application will be dis^ missed.\ And so the Education Departmen found itself in the i position of* Mother Hubbard's dog—it " got none." Mr Hunt evidently believes that prevention is better than cure, and that the best way to prevent a niaii from going wrong is to^give him every chance to go right,